


A Wonderful, Wonderful Life

by Rose_SK



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caring Harvey, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Harvey Specter is Not an Asshole, Hurt Mike Ross, Hurt/Comfort, It's a Wonderful Life, M/M, Minor Character Death, Out of Character, Puppy Analogy Mike Ross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 12:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21849844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_SK/pseuds/Rose_SK
Summary: Christmas had become a very important time for Mike, because it had always been the happiest time of the year for him. After Grammy’s death, things changed.ORA Marvey Christmas Fic nobody asked for, but that you're getting anyway.
Relationships: Mike Ross/Harvey Specter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 164





	A Wonderful, Wonderful Life

**Author's Note:**

> I've finally written something after weeks of experiencing writer's block, and I have to say I'm quite proud of this piece.   
> Some holiday fluff for everyone, hopefully you find this as fluffy and heart-warming reading it as I felt writing it. 
> 
> Happy Holidays to every single one of you!
> 
> xx

Mike loved Christmas. Always had. He recalled every Christmas he had spent since childhood fondly, even the first Christmas without his parents. Grammy had made sure that the tragedy that had befallen Mike did not come in the way of his childlike wonder and excitement at one of the happiest times of the year. Even though both had still mourned the loss of Nina and James Ross, they ended up spending the evening watching Christmas movies and stuffing their faced with chocolates and left-over turkey from the small dinner Grammy had cooked for them both. There had been tears, yes, but Mike remembered feeling grateful for Grammy’s presence in his life, and they had both fallen asleep with small smiles on their faces despite the sadness they felt inside. After that, every Christmas Mike had spent with Grammy, however modest, never failed to bring him joy.

  
Christmas had become a very important time for Mike, because it had always been the happiest day of the year for him. After Grammy’s death, things changed. Mike could not bring himself to feel excited about Christmas anymore, because the last person he considered family was gone. Mike was not his usual happy self when December came the year of Grammy's death. He buried himself in paperwork and spent many nights at the office working on whatever Harvey decided to dump on him. This behaviour had not gone unnoticed by Donna and Rachel, who both made sure to check on him every day. Although Mike knew it came from a good intention, he could not bring himself to feel grateful. Donna and Rachel’s constant watchfulness was only making him feel worse about himself. He just wanted to be left alone. He did not need people worrying about him. He did not want people to invite him to celebrate Christmas with them out of pity. He was fine. Why would they not let it go? 

Harvey never asked him how he was, or if he had any plans for Christmas. He just kept Mike busy with work, and supplied him with coffee regularly. One day, Harvey even brought a large bottle of water to Mike’s cubicle, telling him that the last thing he needed was for his first-year associate to pass out at his desk because he was too busy to keep hydrated. Mike had chuckled at the comment, but other than that had remained silent. Whenever Harvey came in to slam more documents on the gowing mountain of paperwork on his associate's desk, he reminded him to drink some water. No other words were exchanged. Mike would usually take a swig of water just to keep Harvey happy, and get back to work. Harvey would nod to himself and leave the cubicle, not to return for another couple of hours with more work and another reminder to drink some water. 

  
This routine lasted a whole week without Harvey mentioning Mike’s miserable mood, and with Mike pretending that he was not close to a mental breakdown. However, the inevitable could not be delayed any longer. Three days before Christmas, Mike did not bother getting out of bed. He had switched his phone off so no one could get a hold of him. He needed some time to allow himself to properly grieve Grammy’s death, and the blank space she had left behind. Since her death, Mike had kept himself busy so he would not have to think about her. He had had enough. He could not hold back the tears and broken sobs anymore. He missed Grammy so much, and felt more like an orphan than he ever had before in his life. He was now truly alone, and as that realization dawned on him, Mike wondered who would miss him if he never woke up tomorrow? Maybe the office would feel the loss of a hard-working and brilliant associate. Harvey might even show up at his funeral, just to bid his protégé a last goodbye… that is, if he was not busy with work on that date. 

  
Two days before Christmas, Mike got out of bed to have a drink of water, before hiding under the covers once again and letting his tears run free. The radio and TV had been switched off, his phone still lay on his bedside table and the curtains had been pulled shut. His studio felt stuffy, but Mike could not bring himself to crack open a window. Everything required so much energy, but all he felt like doing was sleep. 

  
Mike finally brought himself to switch his phone back on one day before Christmas. He had fifteen missed calls from Donna, and a surprising twenty-eight missed calls from Harvey. Well, was it really that surprising? Mike was his right-hand man, and took care of the paperwork that Harvey was too important (read lazy) to complete himself. On top of the twenty-eight missed calls, Harvey had texted Mike several times in the past two days.

  
_Where are you?_

_Where the hell are you?_

_I swear to God, Mike, if you don’t pick up the next time I try to call you, you’re fired._

_That’s it, you’re fired._

_Mike, get your head out of your ass and text us back already. No one can get a hold of you!_

_Look, it’s fine if you need time off to sort your life out. All you had to do was ask. Please, text me back and let me know you’re okay._

_Please._

  
Mike felt guilty for allowing Harvey to worry so much about his well-being. Yes, it was genuine worry that his boss displayed through those messages, not to mention the twenty-eight failed attempts at calling his younger associate. Just as Mike was about to text Harvey back, his phone started buzzing in his hand and his boss’ name appeared on his screen. With a small sigh, Mike picked up.

“Thank God, I was this close to sending the cops round… then I remembered that you might have drugs hiding in that shoebox you call a home, so I decided against it,” Harvey’s rich voice greeted him, and Mike found himself smiling. A warm feeling spread in his stomach, although Mike could not quite explain why. 

  
“Morning to you too, Harvey. It’s nice to know you care.”

  
“Don’t flatter yourself. How are you holding up?” Harvey asked, taking Mike by surprise. He had expected a snarky comment, or even a lecture. Instead, his boss seemed genuinely worried, and Mike did not know what to do with that information. 

  
“I’ve seen better days,” Mike finally admitted after a short pause. 

  
“Donna thinks I put too much pressure on you by giving you all that work. I just want you to know thatI didn't mean for you to burn out. I thought that this close to Christmas, you could use a distraction. Was I wrong?” Mike took a minute to reflect on Harvey’s question, and he was surprised at how easily the answer came to him.

  
“I was glad for the distractions, Harvey. This is not your doing. It’s just… Grammy always made Christmas special. I can’t imagine it without her.”

  
The line suddenly went silent, and at first Mike thought that Harvey had hung up on him. Mike pulled his phone away from his ear and noticed that they had not been disconnected yet. Harvey was seemingly still on the other line, so Mike brought his phone back to his ear and waited patiently for his boss to respond. Maybe Harvey was trying to think of the most polite way to tell Mike how much he did not care in the slightest about his sob story. 

  
“After my dad died, I felt the same way. And to be completely honest with you, I haven’t properly celebrated Christmas since he passed away. I get it. I won’t lie to you, it doesn’t get better over the years. The only thing that changes is your ability to cope with the pain. And that’s one hell of a skill, Mike, but you’ve done nothing but surprise me since you started working for Pearson Hardman. You’ll be ok, I can guarantee that.”

  
Mike was speechless. The last thing he had expected from Harvey was a pep talk, but coupled with a personal confession and a compliment casually thrown into the mix, too… it was too good to be real. Harvey did not talk about his feelings, or care if his associate was having a hard time. Harvey did not comfort his colleagues, and he most certainly did not compliment their good work. For Harvey, good work was not praise-worthy, it was to be expected. Clearly, Mike had been wrong about his boss on so many levels. 

  
“I never thought there was a man behind that bulletproof wall of yours,” Mike joked, mostly to hide how emotional Harvey’s speech had made him feel. 

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises.”

There was another pause during which neither Mike nor Harvey dared to speak. They were both aware of how weird the situation was, but at the same time, it felt right. Mike felt a warm sensation grow in the pit of his stomach. 

“Meet me in front of your building in twenty minutes. I know something that will cheer you up.”

“Harvey, you don’t have to do this…,” Mike tried to argue, but Harvey was having none of it. 

“Shut up, and go make yourself presentable. Be ready in 20’.”

Although Harvey hung up on him, Mike could not hold back his smile. 

000

Mike stood waiting for Harvey in front of his building exactly fifteen minutes after their phone call had ended. He expected Ray to pick them up and take them to some high-street bar or even a restaurant if Harvey was feeling sociable. Mike could use a drink, or two… or ten. Anything to forget that when he woke up tomorrow, it would be Christmas, and he would still be an orphan. No amount of alcohol would change that, but it could certainly numb the pain for a couple of hours. 

“When I said make yourself presentable, jeans and sneakers were not what I had in mind.”

Mike was startled by the sound of Harvey’s rich voice so close to his ear. He jerked his head around and came nearly nose to nose with his boss. The small smile on Harvey’s face made him look ten years younger, as did the twinkle in the deep brown pools. The sight took Mike’s breath away, and he could not quite explain why. His speechlessness did not get past Harvey, who frowned at the lack of response from his younger associate. 

“Mike, everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Mike said as he snapped out of his trance, “sorry, it’s uhm… it’s been a long couple of days.”

Harvey gave a compassionate nod of the head, and to Mike’s surprise, his boss brought his hand to his associate’s shoulder and gave it a firm, but gentle squeeze. 

“C’mon, there’s somewhere I want to take you,” Harvey said as he started walking away from Mike’s building. The younger man followed him with a confused frown on his face. 

“Did Ray not manage to park in front of the building?” Mike asked, surprised that Harvey’s driver did not simply stop right at his door like he usually did. Harvey was not worried about fines, he had more than enough money to pay for them. 

“I did not ask Ray to come out. It’s his anniversary tonight, and him and his wife were planning a quiet night in. We’re walking, I’m sure you could use the fresh air.”

That was odd, but Mike knew better than to argue. He did not often witness Harvey’s soft and caring side, but on the rare occasions he had, it never failed to make Mike feel grateful to be working for someone like Harvey. He could be harsh and demanding, but he was always fair, and rewarded hard work with unconditional support. People who were loyal to Harvey could ask the moon from him, and he would do whatever he could to get it for them. Harvey could be an asshole, but he was mostly a good man. Grammy would have liked him. 

There it was again. The pain, the need to flee back to his studio and bury himself in his covers, the need to distance himself from everyone and everything in his life… but Mike did none of that. He followed Harvey with the enthusiasm of an abandoned puppy who had just been adopted from the pound. And in many ways, Mike did feel like the world had forsaken him, and his only lifeline was his job. Consequently, the only thing he was holding onto at the moment was Harvey, who had accepted that Mike did not want to talk about Grammy, and who had done everything to keep him distracted. Either Harvey was an excellent judge of character, or he knew Mike better than Mike knew himself. 

“Can I ask where you’re taking me, Clarence?” Mike asked, hoping Harvey understood his reference. 

“Clarence, really? Does that make you George?”

“Aren’t you here to show me what the world would be like without me?” A barely noticeable, and some might have said melancholic, smile graced Harvey’s lips at the question. Mike looked away for fear of staring at his boss for too long. He was usually a lot better at keeping his composure around Harvey, but at this very moment he felt vulnerable and alone. His guard was down, and his secret crush on his boss therefore compromised. 

“You know, jokes aside… I’m really glad Louis hired you. You’re not only the best associate a senior partner could dream of, you’re also not too bad to hang around with.”  
That was three compliments in one day. Mike was beginning to wonder if Harvey was feeling alright. 

The two men walked in silence until they reached York Street Subway Station near the Brooklyn Bridge. Harvey paid for his and Mike’s tube tickets and walked with purpose to the correct platform from which they would be catching their train. Mike had of course occasionally used the Subway in the past, mostly as a child before he started cycling everywhere, but he was not familiar enough with the different lines to guess the place Harvey was taking him. On the other hand, Harvey both stuck out like a sore thumb in his tailored suit and expensive shoes and looked like he was right at home. That man was indeed full of surprises. 

They had to change trains once, and Mike grew more nervous by the minute. Wherever Harvey was taking him, it clearly was some distance away from Brooklyn. They had been commuting on the subway for about half an hour, sardined between businessmen and businesswomen on their way back from work. At one stop, a drunk homeless man managed to sandwich himself between Mike and the train doors. The experience had not been pleasant considering the man was pressing his crotch up against Mike’s lower back, and his breath stank of alcohol and weed. The only advantage of being forced into that position was that Harvey managed to pull Mike closer to his body despite the crowd of tired and cranky commuters when he noticed the creepy drunk pressed up against his younger associate. For the remaining of the ride, Mike did not only have a perfect view of Harvey’s strong jaw, but he could also sniff the smell of his cologne all he wanted. Harvey’s body felt warm and welcoming, which further encouraged Mike to lean into the touch which his boss did not seem to mind. Or at least if he did, Harvey made no mention of it. 

Harvey grabbed Mike’s wrist and dragged him out of the train before Mike could make out which station they had stopped at. Harvey did not let go of his arm as he navigated the crowd like a pro. The older man looked so confident that Mike gathered he had done this plenty a time before. Harvey had never seemed to be the kind of man to know his way around the New York subway. He had a personal chauffeur, after all. Then again, Harvey had not always been the successful lawyer that he was then, Mike had to remind himself. He probably started where everyone else did; sandwiched between hundreds of other commuters, hoping that one day he would make the big bucks that could pay for a chauffeur and never have to endure the hustle and bustle of public transport ever again.

Mike nearly complained when Harvey let go of his hand once they had left the subway station, but he caught himself on time. 

“Not that I didn’t enjoy the claustrophobia that comes with using the subway, or the near molestation that I had to endure from that drunk a couple of stations back, but next time let’s just get a taxi,” Mike said, causing Harvey to laugh that beautiful, deep laugh that Mike loved so much. The way the older man’s eyes crinkled whenever he smiled was simultaneously the most endearing and sexiest thing Mike had ever experienced. 

“Stop whining, George. We’re nearly there.”

The crowds of tourists who had flown in for Christmas made it difficult to make out where exactly they were, but Mike decided to just go with the flow. He trusted Harvey. He made sure to keep close to the older man, and even grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat when they nearly got separated by the moving crowd. 

“Damn, I hate New York this time of year,” Harvey admitted as yet another person bumped into him without apologising. Mike could see that the other man was growing steadily more frustrated, which made Mike wonder why they even bothered pushing past the throng of people in the first place. His question was soon answered when they finally made it onto 5th Avenue. Harvey was leaning against the wall of some building, and the small tug on Mike’s sleeve told him to do the same. Mike’s breath was properly taken away when he looked ahead and saw that Harvey had brought them to the Rockefeller Plaza onto which the notorious Christmas tree stood tall and proud for everyone to admire. Although from where they stood the tree looked considerably smaller, Mike did not think that Harvey was ready to face another crowd just yet, so he gave the other man some time to wind down. 

“Why did you-“

“Take you here?” Harvey finished Mike’s sentence with a small smirk, “let’s just say that Rachel told me that you used to come here with your grandmother as a kid. I know how much losing a parent sucks, and that it feels like you’ll never feel happy ever again. I know how bad it hurts. But I also learned that healing happens first and foremost by remembering all the good memories one has of that person, and not letting those memories die. One day you’ll think back on those times your grandmother took you here and smile. Maybe not now, but in time. And I just wanted to help you take that first step.”

Mike tried his best to swallow the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. His jaw tightened as he swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. Memories of him and Grammy having a hot-dog and staring at the beautifully decorated tree for hours on end, before heading back home to enjoy hot cocoa all snuggled up on the couch. Yeah, Grammy would have loved Harvey… probably as much as Mike did in that instant. His heart swelled with fondness for his boss – no, his friend – and unable to hold back the tears, Mike threw his arms around Harvey’s neck and buried his nose in the soft material of his coat. Despite his initial surprise, Harvey eventually hugged Mike back and began rubbing soothing circles on his back when the younger man let out a pitiful sob. 

“Sorry,” Mike apologised thickly, sniffling miserably as he attempted to pull himself away from Harvey. He had not counted on the other man keeping a firm hold of him and burying his nose in Mike’s hair. 

“I got you, puppy,” Harvey whispered softly in Mike’s ear, causing a shiver to run down the younger man’s spine. “I got you.”

Mike pulled away just enough to smile gratefully at Harvey before focusing his eyes on the Christmas tree once again. Although he let go of Harvey, the older man kept a firm hand on his hip. Mike did not know how to take this, but he knew for sure that Harvey would not be holding him like that if he did not reciprocate some of Mike’s feelings, at least. 

“Would you go ice-skating with me, Clarence?” Mike asked, casting a pleading look over his shoulder at Harvey, who merely rolled his eyes.

“Don’t push it, kid.”

“You’re no fun.” Mike managed what he hoped was an irresistible pout, and judging by the soft smile that he received in return, he was more or less successful. What Mike had not counted on was the way Harvey pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss full of tenderness. Mike was quick to reciprocate despite his initial surprise.

“How about we hail a taxi and go back to my place for a drink?” Harvey suggested, his tone more suave.

“Hm, can you make hot cocoa?”

This had clearly not been the answer Harvey had expected if his raised eyebrows were anything to go by, but Mike was not about to indulge the older man that easily. 

“I think I might still have some left from the last time my nieces came to visit,” Harvey finally relented, which made Mike smile the brightest smile he had managed in days, maybe even months. 

“Then yes, I’ll happily come home with you, Clarence.”

Mike barely managed to avoid the punch Harvey aimed at his shoulder.

000

 _Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole._ Harvey had never been one for sappy movies, but _It’s A Wonderful Life_ was an all-time classic that even he could not deny himself during the holidays. Mike lay peacefully asleep with his head on his lap, snoring softly as he drooled onto Harvey’s cotton PJ bottoms. The sight brought a soft smile to his face. That kid would be the death of him. Harvey had no idea how he would have reacted had Mike not reciprocated that kiss earlier in the evening. The older man raked his fingers through Mike’s blonde hair, his smile growing when Mike let out the cutest of whimpers at the ministrations. 

“Do you want the moon? I’ll give you the moon, Mike.”

“Big ol’ sap,” Mike mumbled half-asleep.

“Shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> What do you mean 'it's not canon'? This totally happened, right?


End file.
